Chapter 73 A Year Later

Chapter 73 A Year Later
Sloane POV

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A year and a half later…

The air smelled of spring and new beginnings. Sunlight poured over the university courtyard, glinting off rows of black caps and gowns. I could barely feel my feet touch the ground as I stood among my classmates, the world a blur of cheers, camera flashes, and laughter.

When my name was called, the sound of Dalton’s voice cheering above the crowd made my smile widen. I stepped forward, accepting my diploma with shaking hands, and when I looked up, I saw him, standing just behind the rail, tall and composed in a black button-down and open collar, pride gleaming in his dark eyes.

Sloane Mercer, college graduate.

The thought made me laugh under my breath. For all the nights I’d doubted myself, for all the anxiety and chaos, I’d done it.

After the ceremony, the sea of students broke apart into families, hugs, and photographs. Lila came bounding toward me in her heels, her cap clutched in her hand, mascara slightly smudged but her grin wide and bright. We wanted pictures together, even if we didn’t graduate from the same school.

“Graduate!” Lila screamed, tackling me in a hug that nearly knocked us both over.

“Lila!” I laughed, hugging me back just as fiercely. “We actually did it!”

“I know!” Lila pulled back, eyes shimmering with happy tears. “I’m so proud of us. No more all-nighters, no more group projects with people who ghost halfway through, just freedom and wine.”

I giggled. “Wine sounds perfect.”

Behind us, another voice chimed in, light, teasing. “Did someone say wine?”

Rhea Avery approached with a mischievous smirk, holding up her phone to snap a photo of us. “Smile, ladies! This is history. The future CEOs of something fabulous.”

I rolled my eyes, laughing. “You’re not even nineteen. You can’t even drink yet.”

Rhea shrugged, lowering her phone. “Minor technicality. Besides, I’m an honorary graduate today.”

The three of us burst out laughing, and for a moment, it felt like everything in my life was perfectly aligned, friendship, freedom, and a sense of belonging I hadn’t known I’d needed.

When Dalton finally joined us, his arm slipped easily around my waist, pulling me close. “Congratulations, sweetheart,” he murmured, voice low enough that only I could hear. “You’ve worked for this.”

I leaned into him, smiling. “Couldn’t have done it without your late-night coffee deliveries.”

He smiled, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Maybe. But the rest? That was all you.”

Lila pretended to gag dramatically. “Ugh, could you two not be adorable for five minutes?”

Rhea grinned. “Nope. They’re the main characters. We’re just the chaotic best friends.”

I turned toward them, laughter bubbling up again. “Hey, chaotic best friends make the story worth reading.”

“Exactly,” Rhea said, bumping Lila’s shoulder. “You get me.”

The group ended up at a cozy downtown bar that evening, a favorite of Lila’s, with soft lighting and rustic wood tables. The atmosphere buzzed with energy as students poured in, still wearing their gowns unzipped and graduation caps crooked from celebration.

I sat between Lila and Rhea, my cheeks flushed from laughter and champagne. Dalton sat across from us, his gaze relaxed, a rare ease in his shoulders as he watched me.

“To new beginnings!” Lila toasted, raising her glass.

“To us,” Rhea added, clinking her soda against our glasses with a grin.

I smiled, lifting mine. “To everything we’ve survived, and everything still waiting.”

We drank, laughed, and shared memories, Lila talking about her next big career move, Rhea joking about escaping high school early, me soaking it all in with a heart full of gratitude.

“I’m telling you,” Rhea said between bites of fries, “we need to start something together. The three of us. A podcast, a business, a sisterhood, something legendary.”

Lila nearly spit out her drink laughing. “You? On a podcast? You’d get us canceled in five minutes.”

“I would not!” Rhea protested, clutching her chest in mock offense. “Okay, maybe ten minutes.”

Dalton chuckled quietly, shaking his head. “You three are dangerous together.”

“That’s what makes it fun,” I teased, resting my chin in my hand. My eyes lingered on him across the table, catching the small, unguarded smile that still made my heart trip.

Hours later, when the crowd began to thin and the music softened, Lila leaned against Rhea, half-asleep and blissfully tipsy. “This was perfect,” she mumbled.

Rhea yawned, nodding. “It really was. But if I don’t get into bed soon, I’m going to fall asleep right here.”

I giggled, finishing my drink. “Alright, let’s get you both home before that happens.”

Dalton helped us out to the car, his hand always finding mine as if it were instinct. Rhea and Lila were already chatting lazily in the backseat by the time he opened the passenger door for me.

The drive back was quiet, the radio low, the city lights fading into the calm of the night. I leaned against the window, the hum of the car blending with the rhythm of my heartbeat.

When we finally arrived back at Dalton’s house, Lila and Rhea disappeared down the hallway toward the guest rooms, laughter still echoing faintly. I lingered behind, the night pressing soft and electric between me and Dalton.

He turned to me in the quiet living room, eyes dark, voice low. “You have no idea how proud I am of you.”

I smiled, my voice a whisper. “Then maybe you should show me.”

Dalton’s breath hitched, the faintest smile curving his lips.

“Careful,” he said softly, stepping closer. “You have no idea what that does to me.”

“You always say that.”

The tension between us shifted, slow, magnetic, inevitable.

And then, without another word, he reached out, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw as the world beyond us disappeared.

Dalton slammed the front door shut behind us, the sound echoing through our cozy suburban home like a starting gun. I, still buzzing from the graduation ceremony, kicked off my heels in the entryway, my cap and gown discarded in a heap on the floor. I was officially a college graduate, my brunette hair tousled from the wind outside, my tight white blouse straining against my full breasts, and my short skirt riding up my thighs as I turned to face him.

‘Dalton,’ I breathed, my voice husky with the mix of triumph and pent-up desire that had been building all day. He’d been my rock through late-night study sessions, my secret thrill during stolen weekends. Now, with my diploma in hand, metaphorically speaking, we were finally free to celebrate without the weight of exams or deadlines.

He didn’t waste a second. Grabbing me by the waist, Dalton pulled my flush against his hard body, his hands roaming down to grip my ass firmly through the fabric of my skirt. ‘You’ve been teasing me all fucking day in that outfit,’ he growled, his lips crashing onto mine in a bruising kiss. His tongue invaded my mouth, claiming me as his own, while his fingers dug into my flesh, kneading possessively.

I moaned into the kiss, my body arching against him. I could feel his cock already thickening in his pants, pressing insistently against my belly. My hands fisted in his shirt, tugging it open to expose his chiseled chest. ‘I want my graduation present,’ I whispered against his mouth, nipping at his lower lip. ‘Make it hurt so good.’

Dalton’s eyes darkened with lust, a wicked smile curling his lips. He knew exactly what I craved, the rough edge that pushed my limits, the kinky games that left my begging. Without a word, he spun me around, pressing my front against the wall. His hand came down hard on my ass, the sharp smack echoing through the hallway. I gasped, my pussy clenching in anticipation as heat bloomed across my skin, hoping no one could hear us.

‘Naughty girl,’ he murmured, spanking me again, harder this time, watching my skirt flip up to reveal the lacy black thong underneath. He hooked his fingers into the waistband and yanked it down my thighs in one swift motion, exposing my bare ass and the glistening folds of my pussy. ‘You’ve earned this. But you’re going to take it like the slutty graduate you are.’

I whimpered, pushing back against his hand as he delivered another stinging slap, then soothed the reddened skin with a rough palm. My clit throbbed, aching for more. ‘Yes, Dalton. Punish me. I’ve been such a bad student.’

He chuckled darkly, unzipping his pants to free his thick cock, already leaking pre-cum at the tip. But he wasn’t rushing this. Grabbing a fistful of my hair, he yanked my head back, forcing me to arch my spine. ‘On your knees first. Show me how grateful you are.’

I dropped eagerly, turning to face him on the cool tile floor. My mouth watered at the sight of his rigid shaft, veins pulsing along its length. I wrapped my lips around the head, sucking greedily, my tongue swirling over the slit to taste his saltiness. Dalton groaned, thrusting shallowly into my warm mouth, his grip tightening in my hair to control the pace.

‘Fuck, that’s it. Deep throat your reward.’ He pushed deeper, feeling me gag slightly but not stopping, loving the way my throat constricted around him. Tears pricked my eyes, but I hollowed my cheeks, bobbing my head faster, one hand cupping his balls to massage them gently.

After a few minutes of my sloppy blowjob, saliva dripping down my chin onto my heaving breasts, Dalton pulled me up roughly. ‘Bed. Now.’ He dragged me across the room, stripping off my blouse and bra along the way, my nipples hardening into tight peaks in the air-conditioned room.

He shoved me onto the king-sized bed, face down, ass up. I spread my legs wide, presenting myself like an offering. Dalton rummaged in the nightstand, pulling out a pair of leather cuffs and a vibrating plug. ‘Time to fill that tight little ass while I fuck your pussy raw.’

I shivered with excitement, nodding frantically. ‘Please, Dalton. Stretch me. Make me yours.’

He lubed the plug generously, then pressed the tip Inside me. Slowly, he worked it in, twisting it to make me squirm and moan. Inch by inch, it sank into me, the vibrations starting low and building as he flipped the switch. I cried out, my body trembling, my pussy dripping onto the sheets.

Not giving me time to adjust, Dalton positioned himself behind me, rubbing the head of his cock along my slick slit. ‘Beg for it.’

‘Fuck me! Pound my cunt while my ass buzzes. I need your cock so bad!’ My voice was desperate, hips bucking back.

With a primal grunt, he slammed into me, burying himself to the hilt in one thrust. I screamed in pleasure, my walls clenching around his girth as he set a brutal rhythm. Each slap of his hips against my ass pushed the plug deeper, the dual sensations driving me wild. He reached around to pinch my clit, rolling it between his fingers while he railed me relentlessly.

‘So fucking tight, It’s a good thing these walls are soundproofed.’ he panted, spanking me again, leaving handprints on my flushed skin. ‘Cum for me, Sloane. Milk my dick like the kinky little slut you are.’

The command tipped me over the edge. My orgasm crashed through me, pussy spasming around him as I wailed, juices squirting out to soak his balls. Dalton didn’t stop, fucking me through it, prolonging the waves until I was a quivering mess.

Then, my next words were his undoing.

“Cum inside me… please…. Give it to me.”

He didn’t want to stop. He couldn’t stop it. He was rocking inside me too fast, too hard.

“Fuck” he mumbled as his rhythm became erratic. Ropes of cum filled me up, coating my walls. I pulsed around him as the two of us fell out of our trance.

Dalton collapsed beside me, pulling me into his arms, the plug still humming softly inside me. ‘Welcome to the real world, baby. Our world.’

I nestled against him, spent but glowing. ‘Best graduation ever.’